At UC Davis Health System, we believe in the innate connection between the arts and the human spirit. The visual, literary and performing arts have undisputed therapeutic value. While medicine and the sciences are grounded in empirical evidence, art is emotive, interpretive, subjective. Art serves at once as a creative outlet for self-expression and as a respite from pain, illness and unrelenting pressures of daily life.

In many ways, art embodies humanity and conveys a broad expanse of emotions, from pathos and angst to joy and spiritual fulfillment. Music, painting, sculpture, dance, poetry and other literary forms have restorative powers. That’s why UC Davis Health System has integrated the arts into our programs for students, faculty, staff, patients and their families.